Bottom line: Focus Media’s plan for a backdoor listing in China stands a better than 50 percent chance of success, potentially opening a new re-listing path for Chinese firms whose shares are undervalued in New York.
Focus Media eyes China backdoor listing
Former advertising services high-flyer Focus Media is eying a plan to become listed again, with an ambitious target of tripling its value from just 2 years ago when it privatized. If the plan really works, it could create an attractive template for a return to publicly-traded status for the group of about a dozen Chinese companies that were formerly listed in New York but privatized after their shares became undervalued. The key to the plan appears to be a decision to list back at home in China, where Focus’ name is more familiar and local investors are far less sophisticated and prone to hype and overinflating values of well-known companies. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on September 21-23. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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China To Limit Construction Of New Solar Panel Factories (English article)
Blackstone, Temasek give thumbs down to Pactera, Youku
Two Chinese tech leaders are feeling the effects of fickle western institutional investors, with word that one big name has lowered its buyout offer for IT outsourcing firm Pactera (Nasdaq: PACT) , while another has dumped its sizable stake in video sharing site Youku Tudou (NYSE: YOKU). In the former case, it’s private equity giant Blackstone that’s lowered its offer for Pactera, while in the latter its Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek dumping its Youku Tudou stake. Both cases are due to company specific factors; but they also show that big-name investors may carry a certain level of prestige for companies that attract them, but they also bring a certain level of risk. Read Full Post…
One of my well-informed sources tells me that Shenzhen-listed IT outsourcing firm Beyondsoft (Shenzhen: 002649) is weighing a bid for rival Camelot Information Systems (NYSE: CIS), in what would be an interesting twist to the ongoing exodus of Chinese firms from US stock exchanges. If this information is true, it could mean we may start to see some bidding wars among private buyers for the growing number of Chinese firms that are abandoning their New York listings due to low valuations. Read Full Post…
More than a month after I predicted that education services provider New Oriental (NYSE: EDU) could become the next US-listed Chinese company to privatize, media are buzzing with comments and other rumors that indicate such a bid could indeed be in progress. I made my remarks in late April after New Oriental reported relatively solid quarterly results that failed to impress US investors who have become wary of many Chinese companies after a series of accounting scandals. (previous post) That lack of investor appreciation has led a growing number of US-listed Chinese companies to launch privatization bids, and I predicted that New Oriental could become one of the next to joint that list. Read Full Post…
The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on October 15-17. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
